Saturday, February 07, 2015
Editorial: E. Ramapo is as broken as its buildings
It says a lot about the level of conflict and distrust within the East Ramapo school district that a $40 million bond project to repair school buildings was voted down on Tuesday.
Virtually everyone agrees that the district's buildings are in dire need of repairs. The schools are 45 to 60 years old and many have never replaced their original windows and boilers.
The bond would have provided for basics upgrades that are a given, every decade or two, in most school districts — roof and window replacements, new boiler systems and heating/ventilation units, repairs to dangerously cracked sidewalks. We're not talking high-tech media centers or artificial turf playing fields.
Plus, district officials said the bond would not increase taxes, thanks to other retiring debt and potential energy savings from 21st-century windows and boilers.
Distrust prevails
But the bond drew very few voters and was soundly defeated, 626-472. The result surely had less to do with school repairs than with the animosity that exists between the district's public and private school communities. The extreme lack of trust reaffirms the need for the Legislature to quickly appoint some form of state oversight for East Ramapo, as state-appointed fiscal monitor Hank Greenberg proposed.
Some public school advocates who distrust the Board of Education promised to vote no on the bond because they did not want the project to go forward before state oversight is in place. As one reader commented on lohud.com: "No additional money without oversight."
Many critics of the board — dominated since 2005 by majorities of Hasidic and ultra-Orthodox Jews who send their children to private schools — blame the board for not budgeting for necessary repairs until now. It's been a common refrain in recent weeks that the board sought for years to sell the two East Ramapo school buildings that were in the best shape.
The poor turnout of just more than 1,000 voters (compared with an average of 10,300 for the last four budget votes) was due, in part, to the vast majority of Orthodox voters staying home. On Thursday, Rockland County Legislator Aron Wieder, a former East Ramapo school board president who supported the bond, said it was "refreshing" that the private school community did not participate instead of voting against the bond. Talk about a shallow victory.
A lot more to fix
The school board majority and others from the Orthodox community have expressed disdain for the state's plans to intervene in the district. Many were stung by Greenberg's sharp criticisms of the school board's fiscal management and social missteps. Meanwhile, the school board lost the trust of many in the public-school community long ago.
Generally, there would be reason to be uneasy about the state having the power to overrule a democratically elected school board. But East Ramapo's ongoing financial mess, and broken community trust, demands dramatic action. If the district cannot fix broken sidewalks, something must be done.
Since Greenberg presented his report in November, Rockland's legislative delegation has been working to craft a bill to define how state oversight would work. On Thursday, Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee sent an email to constituents promising that a bill will be introduced shortly. We hope legislative leaders will take the time to focus on East Ramapo's unusual situation and to support a smart, responsible remedy, preferably something the Orthodox community can live with.
Also on Thursday, a group of district officials, activists and parents who supported the bond called for the school board to hold a second vote. "We need to educate the public on what's at stake," PTA President Ramona Jones said.
Jones, understandably, was talking about the need to fix East Ramapo's school buildings. But there is a lot more at stake — and a lot more to fix — in the school district.
http://www.lohud.com/story/opinion/editorials/2015/02/07/east-ramapo-bond-vote-distrust/23048515/
Virtually everyone agrees that the district's buildings are in dire need of repairs. The schools are 45 to 60 years old and many have never replaced their original windows and boilers.
The bond would have provided for basics upgrades that are a given, every decade or two, in most school districts — roof and window replacements, new boiler systems and heating/ventilation units, repairs to dangerously cracked sidewalks. We're not talking high-tech media centers or artificial turf playing fields.
Plus, district officials said the bond would not increase taxes, thanks to other retiring debt and potential energy savings from 21st-century windows and boilers.
Distrust prevails
But the bond drew very few voters and was soundly defeated, 626-472. The result surely had less to do with school repairs than with the animosity that exists between the district's public and private school communities. The extreme lack of trust reaffirms the need for the Legislature to quickly appoint some form of state oversight for East Ramapo, as state-appointed fiscal monitor Hank Greenberg proposed.
Some public school advocates who distrust the Board of Education promised to vote no on the bond because they did not want the project to go forward before state oversight is in place. As one reader commented on lohud.com: "No additional money without oversight."
Many critics of the board — dominated since 2005 by majorities of Hasidic and ultra-Orthodox Jews who send their children to private schools — blame the board for not budgeting for necessary repairs until now. It's been a common refrain in recent weeks that the board sought for years to sell the two East Ramapo school buildings that were in the best shape.
The poor turnout of just more than 1,000 voters (compared with an average of 10,300 for the last four budget votes) was due, in part, to the vast majority of Orthodox voters staying home. On Thursday, Rockland County Legislator Aron Wieder, a former East Ramapo school board president who supported the bond, said it was "refreshing" that the private school community did not participate instead of voting against the bond. Talk about a shallow victory.
A lot more to fix
The school board majority and others from the Orthodox community have expressed disdain for the state's plans to intervene in the district. Many were stung by Greenberg's sharp criticisms of the school board's fiscal management and social missteps. Meanwhile, the school board lost the trust of many in the public-school community long ago.
Generally, there would be reason to be uneasy about the state having the power to overrule a democratically elected school board. But East Ramapo's ongoing financial mess, and broken community trust, demands dramatic action. If the district cannot fix broken sidewalks, something must be done.
Since Greenberg presented his report in November, Rockland's legislative delegation has been working to craft a bill to define how state oversight would work. On Thursday, Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee sent an email to constituents promising that a bill will be introduced shortly. We hope legislative leaders will take the time to focus on East Ramapo's unusual situation and to support a smart, responsible remedy, preferably something the Orthodox community can live with.
Also on Thursday, a group of district officials, activists and parents who supported the bond called for the school board to hold a second vote. "We need to educate the public on what's at stake," PTA President Ramona Jones said.
Jones, understandably, was talking about the need to fix East Ramapo's school buildings. But there is a lot more at stake — and a lot more to fix — in the school district.
http://www.lohud.com/story/opinion/editorials/2015/02/07/east-ramapo-bond-vote-distrust/23048515/
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